Notre Dame decided its offensive line makeover could use a veteran external addition.
It not only found the desired experience, but landed one of the two 2020 AP All-Americans in the transfer portal. Former Marshall guard Cain Madden announced his commitment to the Irish Friday at the conclusion of an official visit. This season will be the 24-year-old former walk-on’s sixth in college football.
Here are some thoughts on Madden addition and what it means.
1 – This offseason has offered plenty of signs that guard was a need. Notre Dame badly wanted three-year starter Aaron Banks back for a fifth season, and there was a chance he would return. But he entered the NFL Draft and became a top-50 pick.
In spring practice, Notre Dame learned a freshman might be the best of the (healthy) interior linemen. Top-100 recruit and early enrollee Rocco Spindler took most of the first-team reps at left guard in the back half of spring. At right guard, junior Andrew Kristofic, junior Quinn Carroll and senior John Dirksen rotated in and out. Kristofic was the primary first-teamer, but none of those three separated himself.
Meanwhile, at tackle, Notre Dame has an experienced fifth-year senior in Josh Lugg (eight starts), another freshman spring standout in Blake Fisher and a 6-8, 300-pound sophomore in Tosh Baker who has been hailed as the left tackle of the future. All of them took first-team reps. It’s still an inexperienced group, but it exited spring with a little more clarity than guard did.
Help anywhere on the offensive line would be welcomed if it was the right fit. Before adding Madden, Notre Dame’s scholarship linemen had a combined 31 starts. Only three players account for all of those. Madden started 31 games himself at Marshall.
